A reputable place to purchase gems with relatively low sales pressure is Ratnapura Gem Bureau, Museum & Laboratory. There’s a good display of local minerals and gems, as well as information on mining and polishing. A return three-wheeler trip from the centre of town should cost about Rs 400, including waiting time.

From Colombo you drive 101km through every shade and tone of rich green and yellow green of rubber plantations, paddy fields and tea estates to reach Ratnapura – the City of Gems. Ratnapura is the most famous gem-min-ing locality in Sri Lanka. At the National Museum, the Ratnapura Gem Bureau and Museum or in many other gem workshops in Ratnapura , one can get the rare opportunity to see a varitety of precious stones such as rubies, sapphires, cat’s eyes, alexandrites, aquamarines, touramalines,spinels,topaz, garnets, amethyst, zircons ets. And also the traditional ways of cutting and polishing gem stones.
Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known as a land of gems. King Solomon was said to have produced a great ruby for the Queen of Sheba form Sri Lanka. The 400 carat blue sapphire called “Blue Belle” which adorns the British Crown is from Sri Lanka. The beautiful star sapphire misnamed the “Star of India” is another Sri Lankan treasure.

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

The park is 323 Km2 area centres on the large Udawalawe reservoir, fed by the Walawe Ganga. The park is renowed for its outstanding scenic  beauty  and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. With herbs of elephants – this is one of the best places in sri lanka to see wild elephants – and wild buffalo, sambhur deer and leopard; it is the sri Lankan national park that best rivals the savanna reserves of Africa.

The park lies both in Sabaragamuwa and uva provinces and includes the Udawalawe reservoir, together with much of its catchment area. Udawalawe had been declared the fifth  National Park  in 1972. Vegetation consists of scattered glasslands and thorny – shrubs . Tree species include satin, Halmilla, Ebony, Ehela, Kolon and milla. In the riverine forest , Kumbuk and the endemic Mandorang are dominant. The park is surrounded by cultivated land.

The avifauna includes large numbers of warblers together with the low – country birds in forest areas, and a variety of raptors. Notable endemic species are Sri Lanka spurfowl and jungle fowl.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

BELIHUL OYA

The waterfall gushed in mists of white spray as it tumbled off rugged rocks and dropped like an immaculate veil to flow gracefully into the surrounding jungles. Belihuloya, a charming hillside village situated in the Ratnapura District, approximately 160 kilometres from Colombo is nature’s marvel, a miracle of creation blessed with an abundance of waterfalls, streams, nature, cycling trails and numerous opportunities for bird watching and camping.